From the UCC Network - Devotion 10/31 "When Criticism Works"

When Criticism Works  

Excerpt from 2 Corinthians 7: 2-12 

^“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.”

Reflection by Lillian Daniel 

Have you ever received a harsh criticism that later you considered to be a gift? At the time, you may have argued against the criticism. Perhaps you even lashed out at the one delivering the bad news. But later, after you had time to think about it, you realized you had been told something you needed to hear. 

In a previous letter, Paul had said what needed to be said to the Corinthians. Once he named it, they realized they had done something wrong and they felt bad about it. That’s godly grief. It’s a temporary sadness that leads to better behavior in the future.  

Some people don’t want to feel any pain. They shut down all criticism and “protect” themselves. But what exactly are they protecting themselves from? By refusing to feel any godly grief, they shut out the possibility of forgiveness and new life.  

Other people sit around criticizing themselves, day in and day out. Every little thing becomes a cause for anxiety. They worry constantly that they are not measuring up, competing against imaginary enemies and impossible standards. This strikes me as the worldly grief Paul talks about, which leads only to the death of our hope and happiness.  

Sometimes we have to go through a little godly grief to arrive at God’s calling for us.  

And sometimes we have to shake loose from the worldly grief that takes us nowhere.  

Prayer 

God, help me to know the difference.  Amen.  

About the Author Lillian Daniel is the senior minister of the First Congregational Church, UCC, Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Her new book, This Odd and Wondrous Calling: the Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers, co-authored with Martin B. Copenhaver, has just been published.

From the UCC Network - Devotion 10/29 "Finding Ourselves in the Lost and Found"

Finding Ourselves in the Lost and Found

Excerpt from Luke 15:3-7

“Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?”

Reflection by Martin B. Copenhaver

In Jesus’ parable, the shepherd leaves ninety-nine sheep to save the one that is lost.  When he finds the lost sheep, he is so tipsy with joy that he throws a party.  And at this party the sheep is not the main dish, he’s the guest of honor.

If you are one of the ninety-nine who were left in the fold, that is not a very satisfying end to the story.  You can feel ignored, deserted even.  Why is attention lavished on the one who is in need and so little attention given to the others?  Is that fair?  If you are one of the ninety-nine, it may not seem so.  

But our lives are such that we all get to be lost sometime.

We are forever encountering fresh examples of this:  the once vigorous man who now cannot walk across the room without assistance; the woman who now has to be introduced to her daughter every time her daughter comes to visit; the self-made man whose business is now in a shambles; the woman who returned home to find her partner packing his bags.

You see, there really is no ninety-nine forever safely tucked into the fold.  We all get to be lost sometime.

A mother of eight children was asked if she had any favorites.  She replied, “Favorites?  Yes, I have favorites.  I love the one who is sickest until he is well.  I love the one who is in trouble until she is safe again.  And I love the one who is farthest away until he comes home.”

That is the Good News:  God has a special attachment to those who are lost.  And we all get to be lost sometime.

Prayer

God, please stay with me when I am in the safety of the fold, and seek me out when I am one of the lost. 

About the Author Martin B. Copenhaver is Senior Pastor, Wellesley Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Wellesley, Massachusetts. His new book, This Odd and Wondrous Calling: the Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers, co-authored with Lillian Daniel, has just been published.

From the UCC Network - Devotion 10/28 "God of All Comfort"

The God of All Comfort

Excerpt from 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

“Praise be to the . . . God of all comfort who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (NIV)

Reflection by Kenneth L. Samuel

The late Reverend E.V. Hill of Los Angeles, CA, confessed that he had a bad habit of driving without checking his gas gauge.   He said that often, he would coast up to the pump on nothing more than prayer and gasoline fumes.  While driving down the LA Freeway late one night, Rev. Hill’s car began to stall.  He looked down and surely enough, his gas gauge indicated that he had driven well below empty.  On this occasion, he had not made it to the pump in time.  It was very late, he was not familiar with the area and at that time neither he nor most other people had a cell phone. 

As he slumped over his steering wheel, kicking himself for his blatant stupidity, a car pulled up behind him.  Two young men hopped out and walked up to his window:  “Are you OK?  Having a problem?” they asked.  Sensing their sincerity, he responded with great embarrassment, “I ran out of gas!”  “No problem,” they responded.  “There’s a 24-hour gas station a few blocks from the next exit.  We’ll go fill up our gas container and be right back.”

About 15 minutes later they returned, poured the gas into Rev. Hill’s tank and gave him directions to the gas station.  He tried to give them some money, but they steadfastly refused.  “Well, who are you?” he asked.  After giving their names, they said, “We’re just a couple of guys who patrol the freeway at night, looking to help people in trouble.”

I think those two guys on the freeway reflect the nature of God in Christ.  Surely Jesus was sent to travel the highways and byways of life, looking for lives in distress.  Our distresses might be brought upon us by circumstances out of our control, or they could be the result of our own negligence.  In any case, what we need initially is someone to help us up and out, not push us down further.   We need comfort, not condemnation.  Blame and responsibility can be assessed later.  But those of us in distress right now can thank God that the Comforter has come.

Prayer

Dear God, I praise you for your present help and comfort in my distress.  Use me as an agent of comfort in the lives of my fellow travelers.  Amen.

About the Author Kenneth L. Samuel is Pastor of Victory for the World Church, United Church of Christ, Stone Mountain, Georgia.

From the UCC Network - Devotion 10/27 "Unstoppable"

Unstoppable 

Excerpt from Acts 8: 1b-8 

“That day a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. Now those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the word.” 

Reflection by Ron Buford 

Unstoppable in the face of horrific persecution, early Christians continued proclaiming the Jesus story. Persecution seemed to stimulate Christianity’s spread, farther and faster, to Judea and Samaria. 

Jesus promised! “You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit is come upon you and you shall be my witnesses.” No, it did not free them from suffering, imprisonment, and death  . . . but from the prisons of powerlessness and fear. Their unstoppable acts became an unrelenting witness to a skeptical world. 

Saul’s seemingly unstoppable energy for persecuting Christians eventually collides with the energy and light of the Jesus of the persecuted. He later writes to Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and of a sound mind.” 

Are you afraid today? Fear has no power over us as it does not come from external circumstance, but from our internal disconnect from the God of all power. May the Holy Spirit rest and abide within you today, granting you unexplainable, unstoppable power.

God did it for me and will do the same for you. 

Prayer 

Gracious God, help me believe, release, grasp, and conduct your possibility power . . . not only for myself, my love, my family, but as one of many witnesses to your power at work in the world. Thank you and Amen! 

About the Author Ron Buford, former coordinator of the UCC’s God is still speaking campaign, currently serves as Director of Development for the Northern California Nevada Conference. A consultant, group leader and speaker, he appears in Living the Questions: Resourcing Progressive Christians.

From the UCC Network - Devotion 10/26 "God Shows No Partiality "

God Shows No Partiality 

Excerpt from Acts 10:34-43 

“Then Peter began to speak to them:  ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.’” 

Reflection by Martin B. Copenhaver 

In Jesus’ day there was great enmity between Jews and Gentiles.  So perhaps it is not surprising that, in the earliest days of the church, there were many who thought that the good news of Jesus was for Jews alone.  Peter was particularly fervent in his belief that in order to be a follower of Jesus one had to conform to Jewish practices.  But then Peter was touched by the faith of a Gentile named Cornelius and he received a vision in a dream that showed him otherwise.  Peter said, to everyone’s astonishment (and perhaps his own), “I truly understand that God shows no partiality.” 

Given what Peter had previously believed, it would have been remarkable if he had said, “I truly understand that God does not want us to hate one another.”  It would have been startling if he had said, “I truly understand that God wants us accept one another.”  It would have been revolutionary if he had said, “I truly understand that God wants us to be in relationship with one another.”  But Peter says more than any of those things, and more than all of that combined.  Peter says, in essence, “No one is in and no one is out.  We are the same in God’s sight.” 

That story is such a pivotal one, not merely because it traces an important moment in the history of the church, but also because it reminds us that that history continues.  God is still extending a wider welcome than we would be inclined to give. 

Prayer 

God, we affirm that you are still speaking.  May we still listen.  Amen. 

About the Author Martin B. Copenhaver is Senior Pastor, Wellesley Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Wellesley, Massachusetts. His new book, This Odd and Wondrous Calling: the Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers, co-authored with Lillian Daniel, has just been published.

From the UCC Network - Devotion 10/25 "Spring"

Spring 

Excerpt from Psalm 87 

“Singers and dancers alike say, ‘All my springs are in you.’”  

Reflection by Donna Schaper 

What makes a song a good song? Or a dance a good dance?  Doesn’t it have some spring in it?   Air.  Buoyancy.  Lift.  Rise.  The kind of thing people tell us they want from Sunday morning.  Surely you have heard the urgency: “I came here this morning to be lifted up….”

This phrase is usually followed by a BUT.  You know the But.  I am a leader in this congregation and I don’t feel like I get to go to church any more.  I come here to work.  I had a big thing happen in my life and nobody knows. I feel flatter than when I came in.  My pain has been condensed, not released.  I live in a great city but I never get to see it because I go to a meeting every night.  Flattened.  Twisted.  Tied up.  Contorted.  Living in the land of rock and hard place.  I could be lifted up BUT. I could rise BUT.  I could be buoyant BUT. 

Perhaps it is time to take a hint from the psalms and the singers and the dancers.  I rise because all my springs are in you.  And we are not talking here about either pastor or parish.  We are talking about you: the spring of the spring.  Sometimes it is important to get church out of the way of Spirit. Other times it is time to transform Church so it is spirit.  Most of the time it is time for both. 

Prayer 

Oh, you who sprung into action for us, lift us up.  Let us sing and dance, even if we “aren’t very good at it.”  Amen. 

About the Author Donna Schaper is the Senior Minister of Judson Memorial Church in New York City.  Her most recent book is Sacred Chow: a Guide to Holy Eating.

From the UCC Network - Devotion 10/24 "Proof"

Proof 

Excerpt from Acts 1:1-11 

“After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” 

Reflection by Quinn G. Caldwell 

Jesus Christ lived, suffered and died, returned, and is right now doing stuff that matters for your life. 

What would it take to believe that? 

Acts says Jesus presented himself “by many convincing proofs.”  Things, we assume, like talking with Mary Magdalene, eating with his followers, and inviting Thomas to touch the hole in his side. 

But what constitutes a “convincing proof” that Christ is alive and kicking these days?  What did it for you?  Was it a vision?  Your parents?  The moment your son was born?  The way you felt when they sang that one hymn on a random Sunday in 1983?  Somebody you love telling you about their faith? 

What proved it to you, not beyond a doubt—that’s science, not faith—but enough for you to bend your life around it? 

The Book of Acts is a story about the apostles going around presenting Jesus “by many convincing proofs” to people they thought needed reminders that God is real and hope wins.  Your life, God hopes, will turn out to be about the same thing. 

So, again: what first proved to you that the faith is true?  And then, more importantly: how are you going to prove it to somebody else? 

Prayer 

God, I am not always sure what to believe.  I’m not asking for certainty here, just enough convincing to get through each day.  And then for the grace to pass it on to someone else.  Amen. 

About the Author Quinn G. Caldwell is Associate Minister of Old South Church in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Terrible Cost of War

"The Costs of War", is the focus of the peace activist coalition in which I take part, here in the western Chicago suburbs. It's dedicated members are everyday citizens, just like you and I, who each take the struggles of our national life and routine seriously, and who also struggle together recognizing the tragic consequences of our actions, personally and as a nation, as we all relate, in one degree or another, to the ongoing military dilemma in both Afghanistan and Iraq. And the consequences of which we address  do carry a tremendously heavy burden for us all, individually and as a country.

Too often when we hear of the costs of doing war we, without even fully engaging our minds, focus almost exclusively upon those costs only through the lenses of the financial burdens. However, the real costs extend well beyond this redirection of our country's resources.

In an article in today's New York Times ( The Way We Treat Our Troops - NYTimes.com ), columnist Bob Herbert brings to light an even more foreboding cost of our engagement in these decade-long wars, so far from our own home turf. His reporting, in fact, brings home to our soil the devastating aftermath of trauma that our troops must continually fight against, long after leaving the fields of combat. And "this' fight is one which is raging right here, now, within our very neighborhoods, all across the country.

We as a country cannot survive much longer under this present cost of doing war. The battles and dying may be thousands of miles from the roads we walk each day. But those roads of war are now leading back to our front doors, and we must now squarely face and deal with that which we all have created.

The "Cost of War" is becoming more monumental for us all - personally and collectively - with each passing day, and we must come to grips with what we are allowing, and bring an end to all these collateral costs which are destroying us as a nation, and as a moral society.

From the UCC Network - Devotion 10/23 "Singing Ahead of Time"

Singing Ahead of Time 

Excerpt from Luke 1: 46 – 47 

“And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.’” 

Reflection by Anthony B. Robinson 

As a liturgically correct sort of guy, I am puzzled by today’s reading. It’s the Magnificat. After hearing from Gabriel that she would be the mother of Jesus, Mary lets go with this song of ecstatic praise. 

But what’s it doing here, now? We sing this in December, right? Or maybe late November. But today is October 23. It’s not Advent. It’s not Christmas. It’s just plain old October 23. It’s not even a Sunday. It is, for heaven’s sake, a Saturday: errands, soccer, raking leaves, fixing a leak at the sink. It’s too soon for the Magnificat. It’s too early to sing. 

Somewhere in the writings of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, she tells a story of visiting a garden in Japan. Her guide was explaining the symbolic significance of various trees, including bamboo, pine and the plum tree. The bamboo stands, said the guide, for long life, the pine for prosperity and the plum for courage. Lindbergh said that she could understand the bamboo and pine readily enough. “But why does the plum signify courage?” “Because,” said her guide, “the plum puts forth its flowers while there is still snow on the ground.”  

The plum, like Mary, sings ahead of time. Faith sings ahead of time. Faith sings on Saturday. 

Prayer 

When we want things to stick to the plan and when we want you, God, to stick to the schedule, surprise us. Set us singing on the wrong day. Set us singing ahead of time. Amen.

About the Author Tony Robinson, a United Church of Christ minister, is a speaker, teacher and writer. His most recent book is Changing the Conversation: A Third Way for Congregations. Read his weekly reflections on the current lectionary texts atwww.anthonybrobinson.com.

From the UCC Network - Devotional 10/22 "Coming Back to Church as a Grown Up"

Coming Back to Church as a Grown Up

Excerpt from 2 Timothy 3:10-15 

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” 

Reflection by Lillian Daniel 

These days, very few people who join our church were raised in the UCC. Most of them were raised in other forms of Christianity, and they may have some negative feelings about the church of their childhood. And so they drifted from church and sought to go it alone, without a faith community.  

But eventually, they hit something that is bigger than private, self-created spirituality. Perhaps it is the death of a parent, the birth of a child, a friend’s illness, a lonely patch in life, but suddenly they find themselves remembering some of those childhood Bible lessons. They find themselves recalling the blessings of the Christian faith, and they search for a church, but they do so very tentatively, not knowing what they will find, and afraid of being hurt.  

When they do find us, they have the same reaction that so many people do when they discover the UCC. “This is the church I always wanted to find but didn’t know existed.” But our church isn’t perfect any more than the churches they left are all bad. And a miraculous thing happens to grown ups on a faith journey. We come to appreciate moments from our past, like the Sunday school teacher who taught us the “sacred writings” in our childhood.  

That is why when people join the church, we always say, “We give thanks for every community that has ever been your spiritual home.”   

As the scripture tells us today, we realize that there is a connection between who we were raised to be and who we are now. It might not be a straight line, but you can connect the dots.  

Prayer 

Today I give thanks for the small and tender blessings of every place that has ever been my spiritual home. Amen. 

About the Author Lillian Daniel is the senior minister of the First Congregational Church, UCC, Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Her new book, This Odd and Wondrous Calling: the Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers, co-authored with Martin B. Copenhaver, has just been published

From the UCC Network - Devotional 10/21 "God is not far from each one of us"

God is not far from each one of us

Excerpt from Acts 17:22-34

Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, . . . made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for [God] and find [God]—though indeed God is not far from each one of us.” 

Reflection by Christina Villa

A church in my neighborhood recently had on its sign, “Don’t like religion?  Join us, we’re very disorganized!”  This was an attempt (which I’m not sure was successful) to appeal to people who say they don’t like organized religion, or who say they are “spiritual but not religious.” 

It’s common for people inside churches to be dismissive or hostile toward those who go looking for spirituality anywhere except in the church on the corner.  There is a large marketplace of spiritual options out there.  While many of those options may be shallow or silly, the longing for deeper meaning in life that drives people to them—their search for an unknown god—is not silly. 

When Paul looks around in Athens and sees the variety of religions on offer and even an altar to an unknown god, he doesn’t rip into the people for their immature faith.  First he takes a careful look around before saying anything at all.  And then, though he surely disapproves of what he’s seen, he politely notes how religious the Athenians are, acknowledging and not condemning their spiritual searching. 

Next he goes on to talk about God. And he says that God intends for us to “search for God,” and even “grope for God.”  Which is a pretty good description of what all the New Agers and spiritual church-avoiders are doing. 

Finally Paul shares the most important thing about God with the Athenians: this God “is not far from each one of us.”  We may search high and low, around the world and back through centuries.  But God is, in fact, right nearby, having searched for us, sought us out, and found us. 

Prayer

What better news is there than that “God is not far from each one of us”?  Amen. 

About the Author Christina Villa is on the staff of the United Church of Christ in Cleveland, Ohio.

From the UCC Network - Devotional 10/20 "Here’s to Two Old Sinners"

Here’s to Two Old Sinners

Excerpt from Matthew 18:23-35

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.”

Reflection by Martin B. Copenhaver

In the mid-1970s my father and David H. C. Read, a well-known Scottish/American minister, were touring Germany together.  In one city, David had arranged to meet the man who had been the commandant of the prisoner of war camp in which he was held during World War II.  David was a high ranking officer at the time, so the two men had come to know one another rather well.  They had not seen each other for thirty years, however, and David was nervous about how it would go.  As a commandant, the German man had not been cruel, but he had been an enemy.  So David did not know how either of them would react upon seeing one another again.

They arranged to meet at the hotel.  David was clear that he wanted to face the man alone, but he asked my father to return an hour or two later, just in case things were not going well.

My father told me that when he left the room, his friend was straightening his tie, as visibly anxious as a young man going on a date.  But when my father returned to their room a couple of hours later, he found the two men in shirt sleeves and with ties off, drinking scotch, engrossed in friendly conversation.  When David saw my father, he smiled and asked, “Would you like to join two old sinners in a drink?”

Notice:  two sinners.  When you are a sinner who knows that you have received mercy, you are better able to extend mercy to another, to do your part in the dynamic flow of mercy received and mercy given.

Prayer

God, help me to take my part in the endless echo of grace, by receiving mercy when it is my time to receive, and by giving mercy when it is my turn to give.

About the Author Martin B. Copenhaver is Senior Pastor, Wellesley Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Wellesley, Massachusetts. His new book, This Odd and Wondrous Calling: the Public and Private Lives of Two Ministers, co-authored with Lillian Daniel, has just been published.

From the UCC Network - Devotional 10/19 "Wound a Little Tight?"

Wound a Little Tight? 

Excerpt from James 5:7-12 

“Friends, don't complain about each other. A far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know. The Judge is standing just around the corner.” (The Message)

Reflection by Ron Buford

I made a new friend on the beach in a foreign city. We agreed to meet later at a local restaurant. As we entered, we were stopped by at least three tables of his friends, each wanting to talk. When we finally sat down to eat, we could barely pick up a utensil without someone else coming over to chat.

Exasperated at one point while he was away chatting at other tables, it suddenly hit me! “Could this be what it’s like for others having dinner with me sometimes?”

I couldn’t get back to my hotel fast enough to call a best friend I’ve known as long as I’ve known myself. As I told her about my experience, she laughed and interrupted before I could ask, “That’s exactly what it’s like having dinner with you!” I called another best friend whose reaction was the same; but with him I may have also tapped into some repressed and well-deserved anger.

“Don’t complain about each other. A far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know.”

Since then, when I find myself annoyed with others, I pause to look at my own behavior. I may not do THAT particular thing, but I do other things that are equally or more annoying. I try to get over myself, embracing the grace of my friends, the grace of God, and I try to relax.

So how about you? Wound a little tight about something you’d rather pretend you did not do? Think about it, pray about it and let it go. “Perhaps a far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know.”

Prayer

Gracious God, help me get over the things that annoy me most about others and myself. And just as you and others “get over” my stuff, please enlarge my grace tank – both its capacity and flow, for giving and receiving until it wastefully overflows.  Amen.

About the AuthorRon Buford, former coordinator of the UCC’s God is still speaking campaign, currently serves as Director of Development for the Northern California Nevada Conference. A consultant, group leader and speaker, he appears in Living the Questions: Resourcing Progressive Christians.

From the UCC Network - Devotion 10/18 "Time to Drop It "

Time to Drop It 

Excerpt from Psalm 128 

“Happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in God’s ways.” 

Reflection by Felix Carrion 

I would suggest that what often passes for pleasing God is really a fearful effort to appease God. To appease is "to calm or pacify, especially by granting demands." If your God is a demanding, exacting, and punishing God, to be feared more than loved, then you may feel compelled to give this God what he/she demands--or else. 

But if your God is to be loved much more than feared, then what you desire to give this God is the gift of your very best. This makes for a rapturous relationship with God, which is better for our hearts. In climates of religious justifications for hate and violence on all sides, it is time to begin taking poetic license with this verse of scripture and re-writing it altogether. I know some will want to keep qualifying the word “fear” in this verse to mean devotion, awe, wonder, and even love. But why not just go there from the get go: drop the word, drop the notion, drop the theology.

Let me personalize it a little bit. The last thing I want is for my sons, Lucas and Aaron, to fear me. I don’t ever want them to experience me as a frightful parent. If anything, I want to be a forgiving father. I want for them the joy of being in a loving relationship with their dad who is ecstatically pleased that they don’t ever have to fear him, but instead can feel and trust the unconditional love he will forever have for them. I think this would go a long way in shaping the foundation of their happiness.

Prayer

O God, carry us into a relationship beyond fear and demands into a rapturous relationship of love and joy with you. Amen.

About the Author Felix Carrion is Coordinator of The Stillspeaking Ministry, United Church of Christ.